1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope for performing an endoscopy in a body cavity or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, endoscopes are widely used in a medical field and an industrial field. Also, these days, a capsule endoscope having a capsule shape has been proposed. A user takes the capsule endoscope from the mouse or the like, and endoscopy can be relatively easily performed inside the body.
Meanwhile, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-135388 discloses a capsule endoscope with a purpose of being placed inside the body.
In the prior art disclosed in this publication, while introduced into the body by an endoscope, at a location for placement, a balloon provided at an outer circumference of a capsule endoscope is supplied with a fluid and then expanded, whereby the capsule endoscope is separated and thus placed.
A capsule endoscope of a prior art generally includes an illumination section and an observation section in a capsule shaped container, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-225966, for example. Such a capsule endoscope of the prior art has no function of changing a direction of view in the observation by bending an insert section like an endoscope having an elongated insert section.
It should be noted that Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-342522 discloses a swallowable endoscope having an elongated tube shape. This endoscope has bending, and thus the direction of view can be set variable.